


Double Desperation

by CaptainL95



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Omorashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 15:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20909741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainL95/pseuds/CaptainL95
Summary: While the New Generation Reploids are wreaking havoc on the world, the Maverick Hunter's Navigators are kept busy responding to the crisis. Very little time for breaks, and when Layer and Pallette take it into their own hands to go looking for materials, it only grows more worrisome.





	Double Desperation

In defiance of all expectations, the halls of Maverick Hunter HQ were silent. The world outside was in turmoil, with the new generation Reploids going haywire and kidnapping Lumine, the head of the Jakob Project, taking control of the orbital elevator that provided the only salvation for the human race on this dying Earth. Right now, suspicion of the mastermind behind the plot fell squarely on Sigma, not because they had any concrete evidence, but because Sigma had been the mastermind nine times in the past. It was just standard now.

That was the reason why the base was so quiet, because X and Axl were doing the work out in the field, currently investigating the Primrose laboratory. Back in the HQ, Alia was pulling navigator duty, with Layer in the same room, who had nothing to do in the meantime. She was alone with her thoughts, and not very interesting ones either. All she could do was wait for the Maverick Hunters to return, and bid to be navigator next time.

At least Alia had something interesting to keep her occupied. "You found a Rare Metal," she exclaimed over the communications channel. "Be sure to swing by the R&D Lab when you return to Hunter Base." Alia turned from her monitor to face Layer. "Speaking of the R&D Lab, I haven't seen Pallette in some time."

Layer shrugged. "I'm sure she's locked herself up in the lab to work without distraction."

"Well, would you tell her that Axl will be paying her a visit soon? I'm preoccupied providing support here."

Though it didn't show on her blank face, eyes hidden behind purple bangs, Layer was happy to have something to do. "Alright." She stood up from her chair and leisurely walked out of the command room, into the quiet corridors. Most of the lower-ranked Hunters were out in the field, keeping the humans safe from the new generation Reploid uprisings, leaving the base deader than the aftermath of the Eurasia crash, it was a little lonely.

Though, it wasn't totally empty, as Layer soon discovered, bumping into someone she didn't see, the impact against what felt like a solid wall sending her reeling away, almost falling on her rear as she tripped backwards on her heel. The only thing that prevented her from hitting the floor was an arm darting behind her back to catch her. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were there."

She didn't need to see to recognize the voice, yet she still brushed her hair out of her eyes to witness her savior. Who else would it be but the red SA-Class Maverick Hunter, Zero, coming to her aid. Layer's face illuminated in a crimson blush, freezing her motors. "Y-you didn't need to help me."

"I didn't need to let you fall either." He lifted Layer to her feet, allowing her to stand on her own.

Layer straightened her hair, obscuring her eyes once more. "So...why are you still here? Shouldn't you have some kind of work out in the field?"

"X has been insisting that I stay behind," Zero answered, a hint of an irritated look in his eyes. "He thinks he needs to worry about my well-being."

Listening to Zero's complaints, Layer suddenly wasn't so sure. She, much like every Reploid and human, knew of Zero's reputation as a fearsome warrior, all his exploits that led to him being a unique asset to the Maverick Hunters. While she wasn't part of the team at the time, she had heard about how Zero was the only true fighting force they had during X's brief stint in retirement, before Axl was around. Yet, she wasn't feeling the vibes of the cool, confident soldier Zero was built up to be. No, this was vulnerability, weakness. Suddenly, that story she had heard earlier fit into place. "Zero...X told me about how Sigma's used you in the past."

"He mentioned that?" Layer nodded, and Zero sighed, his hand starting to shake in anger. "He used me to spread a virus, he's manipulated so many factions into warring, and he's caught innocents in his crossfire. Innocents like Iris."

Layer hadn't heard that name before, but the way Zero said it, wistfully and nostalgic, implied some history. "Who's Iris?"

"I...I'd rather not talk about it. Point is, Sigma has done so much evil to this world, yet he refuses to stay down any time we kill him. That's why, this time, I'm going to turn him into the pile of molten scrap he deserves to be."

Zero's rage was tranquil, but furious all the same. The topic of Sigma really hit a raw nerve, and turned him into a dangerous machine, completely different from the collected Reploid she had been introduced to. And this was the man she fell for, Layer needed to accept. "I...I will do all I can to assist you."

Even in his moping, Zero still smiled at that. "I appreciate the support. So, what are you doing around this end of the base anyway?"

Truthfully, Layer had nearly forgotten what her mission was upon talking with Zero. She stammered as she attempted to recover that information, the moment just becoming uncomfortable before she remembered. "Alia sent me to collect Pallette."

"I see. I'm sure X and Axl have been keeping her busy with all the upgrades they need. I won't trouble you with my concerns any longer. See you later." With a wave, Zero departed down the hall, in the direction Layer came from, leaving the navigator alone once again.

Layer didn't even notice she had been holding her breath until Zero was out of sight. And, despite his absence, she couldn't stop looking where he departed to. And she couldn't stop thinking about him either. Her eyes glazed over as she stood still as a statue, again forgetting her assigned task, until she had solitude for a full minute to reset her mind. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks to regain her senses and surroundings. "I can't allow myself to be distracted again." Running, to avoid anything else to steal her attention, she dashed through the door to the R&D lab.

"So then I said, 'With this power, I'll never lose', and shot him before he had any idea what was going on!" As soon as she entered the lab, it became clear that she had taken too long a detour, as Axl had already arrived, recounting some tale of his exploits to Pallette, more focused on her work than the story.

"Alright, Axl, it's not right to brag," X warned, pulling Axl away by his shoulder, only noticing Layer's presence as they pulled away. "Oh, Layer. Do you need something with Pallette?"

"No...not anymore. How long have you two been here?"

"Only a few minutes," X answered. "We'd just like to know the nature of the rare metal we picked up."

"Well, you're going to be waiting a while," Pallette interjected, finally looking up from her workbench, lifting her purely-cosmetic glasses above her eyes. "It takes time for me to turn these into something usable."

X nodded. "Then we'll let you go to not disturb your work. Come on, Axl."

"Yeah, alright. Can't complain about getting to give more Mavericks the business end of my gun," Axl boasted, spinning his pistol on his index finger as the two Maverick Hunters left the lab.

Layer waited to make a comment until she was sure X and Axl were out of earshot. "Don't you find Axl hanging around you annoying?"

"Ha! Look who's talking! He's not doing anything different than you do with Zero, he's just more forward and loud about it." Flipping her glasses back down, she took another close look at the rare metal she had just been delivered. "Just what I thought, I'm going to need some extra materials."

"It's not enough to make something already?"

"Well, sort of. I could use this to make a new weapon for Zero, something small and wide, like a fan. Problem is, I don't have the materials in the lab to make the hilt to channel it."

"What do you need?"

"Ceratanium and litnium, I'd say."

"Should we tell X to look out for them?"

"Nah, I don't want to bother him with scavenging when he has more important things to do." Pallette pulled open a desk drawer and reached inside, pushing its contents around until she found what she was looking for, pulling it out for all to see: a cutesy, decorated, colorful gun. "Not when we can do it ourselves! You coming with?"

While neither operator was specifically constructed for combat, in a dangerous world like this, it wasn't uncommon for newer Reploids to be built with the ability to fight in a limited capacity. Layer herself had a Beam Rapier strapped at her waist, yet she was reluctant to use it at the moment. "Is it really a smart idea for two of the Maverick Hunter's navigators to go on their own in the midst of a crisis?"

"Aw, don't leave me going out on my own! Alia's been around for longer than both of us, she can handle the work for a little while!" Her argument seemed to make no impact on Layer, as she remained silent, leaving Pallette to pout. Until another idea came to her, one so devilish she couldn't help but smirk. "You sure about your choice? I mean, if we make a new weapon for Zero, you can be the one who gives it to him."

Layer froze, her face turning a luminescent red that almost matched the hue of Zero's armor. "I-I'm not so single-minded that I'd go along with a poor decision just to get in Zero's good graces."

"But it would help, wouldn't it?" Pallette's grin doubled in intensity, and she leaned in close to Layer, accentuating the height difference between the two. And, just to be even more irritating, she began prodding Layer with her elbow. The moment quickly became a game of which Reploid had the tougher mettle to outlast the other.

\---------------

"So, where do you expect to find your metals," Layer questioned, digging through a pile of rubble.

"X defeated a giant robot in this area years ago, and I hear the recovery operation was pretty lackluster. Look for piles of scrap they never got around to picking up."

"I don't have the sensors installed to classify what the metals I pick up are. Do ceratanium and litnium have any outward indicators to their identity?"

"Well...I didn't bring my scanner, so...just tell me if you find anything that looks interesting, and I'll look over it."

Layer sighed. This whole mission had been a failure so far, from the long walk to this location after they incorrectly input the coordinates into the teleporter, to the mechaniloids nesting in the area they had chosen that needed to be chased away, and destroying the stragglers. All that had wasted hours of their time, and now Layer needed to dig through rubble for who knew how long. Pallette was already taking a guess that the refuse of this giant robot had either of the materials they were looking for, never mind the low chance that it would still be here after years of neglect.

There was reason to worry about all the time they were spending away from Maverick Hunter HQ. While she had done the job alone for years, it was still unfair to leave all navigator duties to Alia for longer than necessary. Leaving HQ understaffed in a time of need was also a reckless thing to do, they were certainly reasons Layer was considering, eating away at her and making her feel guilty.

However, those weren't the primary reason Layer was worried, for another painful indicator of the time passed had manifested, within her body, directly within her abdomen. Spending most of her day sitting in front of a computer, being pulled to this garbage dump without much preparation, it was no surprise that she'd need the little navigator's room eventually.

She gingerly pressed her thighs together with a little rub, creating friction through her tall black stockings. "What a bad time for this to be a concern," she lamented, fighting the urge to press down on or grab the affected area of her person.

Needing to pee now was inconvenience in its purest form. Obviously, she wasn't going to find a working bathroom in the heaps of trash, and she didn't see anything anywhere close on the walk to this point, the former battleground was in the middle of a desert. And, given they had made no progress in their search as of yet, unless they found the mother lode and finished very soon, the chances of returning to Maverick Hunter HQ in time for Layer to relieve herself were slim.

Well, there was another possibility, though one Layer didn't want to think about. With all the tall piles of junk littering the sands, if she absolutely had to... "I'd rather not, but...I might have to do it behind some trash." Just find the most suitable piece of cover, remove her underwear, and let the relevant fluids drain right out. At least the garbage she'd be hypothetically doing her business on was already dirty, her liquids would do it no harm.

Some of the trash began to shift and shudder near Layer, freezing her as her gaze jolted directly to the spot. The pile stayed quiet for a while, but she never looked away, slowly reaching to the rapier holstered on her waist, expecting a fight. And no matter how much time passed, she refused to be at ease, patiently waiting for the attack. It didn't quite come, as the side of the hill collapsed, and out crawled a mechaniloid, broken and beaten, clinging to operation. Its metal plating was rusted and in pieces, one arm was missing, and everything below the midsection of the torso completely destroyed.

Layer sighed, drawing her rapier to ignition. It was clear this thing wouldn't be a threat, but she didn't exactly want something watching her, especially not now. With no sense of urgency, she slowly walked over to the near-corpse of the robot, straining to even look up at her. With her blade at the ready, Layer stabbed downwards, piercing the head and shutting it down, as its motors failed and it collapsed, blending in with the rest of the inanimate waste.

"So, some of these are still functional," Layer sighed, sheathing her rapier. All the more reason not to expose herself in a place like this. So many eyes could see her, from barely-living mechaniloids, to fully-operational ones patrolling the area, to satellites looking down from space, everyone was potential witnesses to what could become her greatest shame. Oh, and there was the threat of being attacked by the roaming enemies she had already encountered and sliced apart, during a time she couldn't properly defend herself.

Technically, she wouldn't have to be completely unprotected. If she were to ask Pallette for a little support, there was a good chance she would agree. She just had to ask Pallette first. Easier said than done. Not that Layer and Pallette were on any bad terms, but Layer was reserved and quiet, and they hadn't known each other for that long, asking for help in a matter like this was an awkward proposition, to say the least.

"...I shouldn't even be thinking of things such as this." Of course, why was she even considering the logistics of peeing outdoors? That was a point she wouldn't let herself reach, it was demeaning and unbecoming for someone as capable as herself. No, whatever it took, she would complete this task and return to Maverick Hunter HQ before she became too desperate to seriously think doing it outside was acceptable practice.

"Layer! Did something happen over here?" Layer had spaced out, to the point that she didn't even notice Pallette running towards her. Good thing she hadn't resorted to grabbing herself yet, that would be a state to find her in. Though, the real sight was just as strange, Layer still holding the hilt of her rapier, standing above the demolished remains of an old mechaniloid. "I can't imagine that was a threat...did it startle you, Layer?"

"It did no such thing. I just preferred to end its suffering."

"Yeah, 'suffering' is right. Look at it." Pallette walked closer, bending down to get a closer look. "It's creepy. I don't know if I could have handled that thing suddenly appearing near me."

"Yes, I can imagine you screaming and running away at the sight."

"No, not like that," Pallette pouted, hands on her hips. "I can handle one robot! I was more talking about...well..." Instead of finding the words, the small navigator instead opted to let actions speak for her. Her hands on her waist instead moved to the spot between where her legs connected to her torso, a light grip applied to that body part as her right foot wiggled in its place in the sand. "You know, the kinds of problems being startled now would cause."

Layer immediately understood, though she wished she hadn't. Pallette's little dance was a perfect visual reminder of the need she herself was fighting back, and in a moment of unthinking, she almost copied said dance. Though she didn't show how sympathetic to the plight she really was through her words. "Have some shame."

"Oh, I'm so far past the point of shame! I gotta go!"

"Would you prefer we return now?"

"No! We still need those metals, and I don't give up so easily! I'll just...figure something else out."

"Don't tell me you're planning to go somewhere out here."

Pallette's eyes widened practically out of her head. "I wasn't expecting to hear you suggest something so...bold. I didn't even think of that!" She looked around, focusing on each stack of trash in contemplation. "Hey, that one looks good! Do you mind covering me while I do...that?"

Now it was Layer's turn to be shocked, reeling backwards. "You want me to what?"

"Just make sure I don't get attacked. Come on, I'm not going to take that long."

"That's not my point. Don't you think it's...degrading to relieve yourself in a place like this?"

"It'd be a lot more degrading to come back to HQ with my bodysuit all wet! I'm not asking for much, there's barely any mechaniloids around here anyway, it won't be much to protect me for a minute!"

That wasn't exactly the part of the scenario worrying Layer most, but Pallette's voice was getting high-pitched and squeaky, which meant she'd never shut up until she got what she wanted. "Fine, just stop whining."

"Oh, thanks, Layer! I'll be as quick as possible!" Without wasting even a moment, Pallette tossed her pistol to Layer and bolted behind the nearest heap of scrap, out of sight, but certainly not out of mind. In fact, it was all Layer could think about now, how her partner was so casually able to pee in the open, and how she was preparing to do so right now.

"I...I might need to...no! I can't think like that! Unlike a certain other Reploid, I still have some shame. I will restrain myself until I reach a proper location." She was adamantly sticking to her sense of pride, yet the only thing she could picture was Pallette, behind that wall of garbage, yanking her coverings off and allowing a stream of tinged liquid to escape her. A little moan escaped Layer as she tried her hardest to erase that image from her imagination.

While Layer was doing her best to not envision Pallette's undressing, Pallette was working hard to make it happen at all. Her outfit consisted of more parts than Layer's, at least where it mattered at the moment. She preferred to wear a black bodysuit that covered everything from her feet to her neck, so without any opening on the crotch, she had no choice but to strip nude every time she wanted to use the restroom. Not usually an issue, she always used the toilet with enough time to spare, and with Layer standing guard, she wasn't worried about being seen now.

Unfortunately, the bodysuit was the last piece she needed to worry about, with the armor on her arms and legs above it, she had no choice but to carefully unclasp and remove every single piece. And with her need as bad as it was, that was a hard task to swallow, enough to make her release a cry of anguish. "Now's possibly the worst time to be having this problem!"

Still, it's not like she had much of a choice, her bodysuit was too thick for her to safely pee through. Bending over, she reached behind her left ankle, undoing the fasteners keeping her boot on, splitting it at the heel and allowing her to simply step out. Without the bottom piece, the rest of her leg armor could simply slide off her foot. The right side followed much the same way.

The arms were a little more challenging, with only one hand being available for each, it took twice as long to release the clasp on her left forearm so it could fall off. The only solace was that she was ambidextrous, so needing to use her left hand to free her right arm took no more time. However, it still wasn't fast enough, as the knowledge that she was approaching relief closer and closer was sending her desperation into overdrive, causing her to start violently stomping the ground beneath her nearly-bare feet with a pained grimace on her face. Without any arms available to grab herself, not unless she wanted to delay release even longer, the dance was all she could do to stave off any leakage. It didn't quite work, a few drops trickling into her clothing. "Eep!"

Even now, she still wasn't done. Her shoulder pads were connected by a collar, requiring her to reach behind her neck to undo the latch, letting it fall off her front. That's when she also noticed all her armor had fallen into a pile of their own on the spot, limiting her options to go here without getting her stuff all wet. At least with her hands open, she could use both of them to tightly grip her crotch, as it had been begging her to do for quite some time, as she rounded the trash heap to get away from her belongings.

That just left the bodysuit. Pressing her knees together and taking her hands off, sending a jolt of intensity through her upon taking away the best source of pressure she had, she reached behind her back to find the zipper keeping the final piece on her person. It wasn't easy without being able to see it, doubly difficult with her body jiggling as she rubbed her knees against one another, doing very little good as her legs began to feel the warmth of pee streaking down them. Finally, her fingers hit the metal tag to her zipper, a sensation she responded to by reflexively gripping it tight, yanking it down the toothed path, exposing her back, the elastic material relaxed enough for gravity to take hold and pull it down the front to her stomach, revealing her tiny breasts for any to see.

That wasn't enough freedom for Pallette, and she hooked both her thumbs around the folds of the bodysuit hanging off her waist, shoving them down with one forceful push, sending it falling to her feet. Normally, this would be enough for her to sit on the toilet and freely go, but that wasn't exactly the position she was aiming for now. The correct next stop would be to step out of the item and kick it away so she could squat with a clear path, but that wasn't happening, as her body quickly informed her by pushing out a giant squirt of pee, straight down into the clothing she was trying so hard to keep from getting any wetter.

"Aahhhhh!" Doing things the proper way was going to take too long, she needed release and she needed it now. Racking her brain at supercomputer speeds, there was only one ending that resulted in anything less than a total soaking. Bending over at a 45 degree angle with her feet firmly planted in place and hands on her thighs supporting her weight, Pallette stuck her rear out as far as she could, aiming her privates back away from her legs.

It was a miracle she could work as fast as she did, because she just couldn't hold it any longer. Once her butt was protruding behind, there were no spurts to give, a solid outpour of urine as yellow as her hair shooting out like a hose, splattering a crater in the sand, a perfect place to produce a pond of pee. The warm fluid continued to gather and pool together, expanding the pit while still overflowing it, spreading outwards in rivulets pulsing and pushing away from the rippling point of impact, creating the loud, punchy sound of pee crashing into pee.

"Phew....haaaahhhh," Pallette moaned, exhaling a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and lost herself to the relief. She was no stranger to holding pee, often lost in her work too much to notice her tank filling until a sudden jolt pleading her to stop and use the restroom, but it was never as desperate as she had been now. As such, the relief was unlike anything she had felt before, it was practically unbelievable how much better she was already feeling when she was only half-drained.

But while Pallette was experiencing bliss, Layer, mere feet away, was suffering torture. She knew she needed to go, but hearing someone else do it so loudly was a whole different story. There were no longer any secondary thoughts on her mind, it was all just about how badly she needed the toilet. She had every intention of continuing to delay her release until reaching a real bathroom, but Pallette's noises were increasing her desperation so fast, that seemed like an impossibility. It seemed impossible to even wait until Pallette was finished herself. She wanted to yell that she had waited long enough and it was her turn to pee now, but a sense of modesty prevented it. But it wasn't strong enough to prevent her from grabbing at her crotch, after strapping Pallette's gun to her waist, bouncing on her heels and biting her bottom lip.

"Layer! Layer! Listen to me!" The shouting shook Layer from her guarded shell, finding Pallette invading her personal space from the front, practically standing on Layer's feet in a futile attempt to match height to make even eye contact.

"H-how long have you been standing there," Layer questioned, hastily yanking her hands off her crotch and slamming them to her sides.

"I've been trying to get your attention for almost a full minute! I even grabbed my gun off you without you noticing," she bragged, holding up her pistol to prove it. "I'm all done, and it looks like you really really need it now. I'll watch out for you too."

Given that she had been potty dancing for that full minute with Pallette watching, it was unavoidable that her need would be recognized. "That won't be n-necessary. I refuse to do s-something so degrading in a place like this."

"I don't think now's the right time to be stubborn," Pallette warned. "I mean...there's a little something down there already." She pointed downwards, at Layer's legs.

Layer had no idea what she was talking about, forcing her to look down to get any clue. And she saw it, a couple little drops falling from her black underwear, turning the very bottom shiny. Removing her hands had disastrous consequences, it seemed. "I-I...er..."

"Just go, Layer! I promise I won't tell anyone you did what had to be done!" Pallette stepped out of the way, waving her arms, gesturing to the same trash pile she had just turned into a toilet.

Layer hesitated. She really didn't want to do this. It just seemed wrong. But she didn't really have any options left. Even if they found their metals very soon, it just wouldn't be fast enough. If she were to teleport back to HQ right now, not only was she not entirely sure she'd be able to run to the bathroom fast enough, but she'd be leaving Pallette alone in a dangerous place like this. If she brought Pallette back with her, they'd have abandoned their mission with accomplishing anything, and without recording their movements from the incorrect teleport point, they would need to walk back the long way to start again. It defied every fiber of her character, but she was out of options. "Fine. Then I'll just..."

Pallette wasn't even looking at her anymore. Layer had no idea why she kept blacking out enough to miss everything happening around her. "Uh, you might need to hold off on that." Pallette pointed at something else, off in the distance.

Once again, Layer was left in the dark without an explanation, requiring her to look for herself, turning her head with a strain like her joints were jammed. And when she saw, she really wished she didn't look. Mechaniloids. No small number of them. Road Riders, Bee Bladers, Batton Bones, and Ride Armors, all gathered in a huge army. Looking straight at the two navigators. Pallette leaned in and whispered to Layer, "I'm not going to be able to return the favor to cover you, just so you know."

"We should retreat."

"Not an option. They're blocking teleportation. We're going to need to fight our way through. What are the chances you'll be able to handle that?"

"Zero. Uh, percent, I mean."

"Then, I think you're just going to have to accept your drenched fate." Pointing her gun at the approaching enemies, Pallette took the initiative by firing off a rapid barrage of bullets, quickly whittling away at the first mechaniloid she pointed them at. With the first shots fired, the battle began, the robot army now charging towards the Reploids at full speed. By the time they arrived, Pallette had managed to take out one of them.

Now, Layer had no choice but to engage in combat, regardless of her physical state. Piloting Ride Chasers, the Road Riders reached the navigators first, and it was Layer's duty to dispatch them. Without the ability to change course quickly, all Layer needed to do to dodge was sidestep, simultaneously igniting her Beam Rapier, slicing the driver in two as he drove past. Without a rider, the Chaser swerved out of control, crashing into a garbage heap and sending all pieces flying in the explosion.

This method repeated itself several times, with every Ride Chaser barreling down on Layer, as she eliminated each one the same way. But each time, it got more difficult, as Layer grew stiffer, her motors seizing up in an attempt to keep her urine inside her. As her panties turned damper, the urge to give up her fight only screamed louder, until it was a really tempting proposition. She'd embarrass herself, having an accident in the middle of a battle because she didn't want to go outside when no one was looking at her, but it would free her from the burden of holding and allow her to concentrate on not dying.

Yet, the flood never came. She was no longer consciously holding, she had just grown so accustomed to making herself suffer that she refused to wet herself despite the harrowing situation she was in, but not holding on purpose did nothing to make it easier. Every tiny motion, from dashing out of the way of an attack to swinging her blade, resulted in an agonizing burning sensation. If someone had told her this was something she'd experience in the future, she would have imagined being immobilized by the pain.

Instead, Layer continued to fight, with all the grace and finesse of X in Gaea Armor. The joints in her elbows were stiff before, now it looked like they never existed in the first place, with the wild way she swing her whole torso, arm extended, to hit anything. The power of the Beam Rapier still did the job in slicing apart mechaniloids, but the close-range weapon's advantage in speed was now lost. For every enemy she slayed, she left herself open long enough for another to take her place, as she flailed wildly in a circle in an attempt to cull their numbers.

Despite her hardest efforts, on two fronts, Layer was soon surrounded by opponents, all pointing their weapons at her. She had even lost sight of Pallette in the shuffle. Attempting a counterattack now would be foolish, it would be asking to be riddled with holes, holes that would spurt out fluids other than urine, though it felt like there was still enough pee in her to overshadow all else, even after all that had leaked out and was now decorating her legs.

"Out of the way!" Like a gust of gale-force wind, an entire slice of the robots encircling her was blown into the air, crashing into their neighbors, opening a path for escape.

However, in that open gap now laid something even more dangerous, a silhouette set against the sun, with a long ponytail blowing in the wind, carrying a glowing green saber. It was the best sight Layer had seen in what felt like ages. "Zero!"

Dashing forward with his saber extended, leaving behind a bolt of electricity where he once resided, Zero quickly reached Layer. "We saw a large-scale amassing of mechaniloids in this area, and Alia said you were here. I was the only one still free to help, but I'm more than enough to take care of these robo-junkers!"

"There's still a lot of them," Layer worried, swiveling as well as she could to run a count of the remaining enemies.

"That's still no problem! Layer, let's team up! Double attack!" Energy seemed to exude from Zero, empowering Layer with strength unlike anything she had felt before. It did nothing to soothe her deadly levels of desperation, unfortunately, but she could at least ignore it for a second. She was swept up in the power she shared with Zero, time seemed to stop and the surroundings fade away, and their dual onslaught began.

Layer couldn't even keep up with what she was doing, not being built for this kind of action, she had no choice but to let the program overtake her. All she could do was watch as she swung her rapier in every direction, with spins, stabs, and slashes. But even her surge of ability couldn't even compare to Zero, moving in a blinding red flash between opponents, dying the air green with the streaks of his saber moving faster than light.

Before Layer could even register the true nature of what she was doing, it was over. Her senses returned to her in a flash of lucidity, and each and every one of the mechaniloids exploded simultaneously. There was no sound other than the wind for some seconds following, the lack of any noise confirming they had successfully eliminated the threat. Zero disengaged his Beam Saber and stored it on his back. "Thanks for the assist, Layer," he praised, giving a thumbs up to no particular target.

By some coincidence, that was the direction Pallette emerged from. "Phew! Thanks for helping, Zero! I thought we were goners for sure! Layer especially probably would have been doomed without you!"

"What do you mean by that," Zero asked, turning to Layer for some clarification.

She could have told him it was because she was stuck on the front lines with a sword, that would have been believable, but she knew what exactly Pallette was instead referring to. Layer had already forgotten about her need, somehow, but the fierce return of desperation ready to explode like a Giga Crush made sure she was properly reminded.

She needed relief, fast. No, she needed relief now. In a tragic twist of fate, now that she was perfectly willing to do her business outdoors, Zero's presence now made that an impossibility. Without interference, she could teleport back to Maverick Hunter HQ, guilt-free now that Zero could accompany and guard Pallette. Granted, she was sure she'd have an accident immediately upon arrival, but Alia would be the only one around to witness it there. It was a close follower to the worst place she could do it, but it wasn't the absolute worst, and that was enough for her.

Problem was, she needed to initiate the transfer manually. It was a simple process, but anything more complicated than "effortless" was asking too much of her now. Not for lack of trying, but this fight was over. "I...I..." Layer wanted to say something, warn her onlookers of the horrible thing they were about to witness, but speech failed her.

It didn't matter that she couldn't verbalize her warning, the core message was soon revealed for them to see. Because they had no reason to look at her crotch, neither Zero nor Pallette had noticed the light reflection on her underwear or thighs, but the sounds of drips dragged their attention to the points of impact, between Layer's feet. As such, they noticed the golden drops falling with their own eyes, evolving from tiny splatters to large splashes in seconds, and quickly turn into a heavy waterfall with only one possible source: a wet patch growing from the center of Layer's black panties, with even more running down the outside of her black stockings, into her boots.

The only thing creating any dissonance in the heavy downwards flow was Layer's shuddering and shaking altering the collision with the sand. She wasn't cold, not when she had so much hot urine rushing down her bottom half, but she was in utter shock, shutting down her intelligent thought. She had spent so long holding her pee, putting herself through pure agony, for the chance that she wouldn't need to do this degrading action outdoors, something that turned out to be unavoidable thanks to awful luck. So instead of pulling her underwear off and releasing a clean pee in an uncomfortable place, she got to drench herself with others watching from mere feet away.

It was the worst moment of her life, but Layer still had to admit: it felt a little good. She had nearly burst, and while it was in the worst possible location, relief was still relief. Going from one extreme to the other was bound to feel nice, and Layer was no exception. She didn't want to give her body the satisfaction of knowing she enjoyed this, balling her fists and clenching her teeth in an attempt to hide her bliss, but it was just too strong. "Haahhh....haaaaaahhhhhh..." Seemed she had a real problem making her body obey her today.

Though, she couldn't blame herself for resorting to wetting, when she was holding so much that it seemed to never end. Time kept passing, and Layer kept peeing at the same power. It seemed bottomless, until a full minute later, when the torrent finally declined...into a hissing hose spray. Another ten seconds of that brought it down to a steady rush, more akin to what her pees usually looked like, before there was just nothing left to release, outside a few final squirts to truly ensure there was nothing left stored inside her.

Without any splashing or flooding left to drown out her voice, and without her focus divided on keeping dry, now would have been an excellent time for Layer to explain herself, attempt to justify what she had just done. Yet, no words came to her. There was just no way to convey what could have led to this shame without sounding like a fool. The silence gave Pallette the opportunity to speak her mind first. "W-wow, Layer...that was enough to douse a fire! You could have beaten Burn Rooster with that much water!"

That didn't make Layer feel any better. "L-listen...Zero..."

"I'm just going to pretend that I didn't see that." Zero turned around to give Layer privacy, too little too late. "Can't have you getting uncomfortable whenever we see each other."

"W-what makes you think that's possible? I'll never be able to live this down."

"I need you to be my navigator, Layer. I need someone watching out for me so I can fight Sigma. And I won't be able to count on you if you can't talk to me anymore."

Layer's face began glowing red like she was suffering a reactor meltdown. "Y-y-y-y-y..." Even one word to start the sentence was asking too much of her now.

Sensing how slowly this conversation would progress without her help, Pallette jumped in, putting her arm around Layer's back. "She's got you covered, Zero! She'll be by your side whenever you need it!"

"Good to hear." Wanting to get away from what was frankly a very awkward moment, Zero teleported out in a beam of vertical energy.

Layer continued staring ahead at where Zero used to be until Pallette reached up to wave her hands in front of her covered eyes. "Layer! Earth to Layer! Come down your orbital elevator back to us, Layer!"

"D-did he just say he needed me?"

"Yep, he sure did! You've impressed him a lot, Layer! I mean, I'm sure this didn't help matters, but you're still on his good side! Be thankful for that!" Pallette patted Layer on the back, a little low thanks to the height discrepancy.

"I-I-I don't know what to do."

"Well, for starters, you can't be his navigator here! We should get back to HQ right now! I mean, I would have suggested that anyway for your own sake, but now you've got a reason!"

"Didn't we have something to find?"

"Metals? Did you see what Zero did? He doesn't imperatively need a new weapon. He can hold his own just fine. And so can you, as a matter of fact! That was cool!" In a stunning display of mood shift, directly after praising Layer's abilities, Pallette sniffed the air, recoiling back away. "But, um...wash up first when we get back. You're starting to smell really bad."

"T-that was the plan, Pallette. Let's just return."

"Sure. Oh, and don't worry, I won't trick Zero into accidentally walking in on you in the bath," she claimed, giving an exaggerated wink at the end.

Layer didn't respond, at least not in words. Instead, she quickly grabbed her Beam Rapier, activating its blade and pointing the tip at Pallette, who backed away, hands in the air. "Okay, okay, I really won't if you're going to be so defensive about it. Not like you don't show off everything already," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks.

Layer heard it, but she didn't have the energy left to argue any further. She instead locked in the coordinates to Maverick Hunter HQ stored in her memory banks, wasting no time teleporting out herself, eager to wash the stench of urine off her body with a bath and a change of clothes. She could never wash away the memory of what happened here today, it would reside in her, Pallette, and Zero forever, but...maybe that wasn't an entirely bad thing.


End file.
